Herbert Pairitsch

Herbert Pairitsch

Senior Manager Technology & Innovation at Infineon Technologies

Dr. Herbert Pairitsch holds a degree in electrical engineering from the Graz University of Technology, from where he graduated in the year 1985. In 1986 he started his career at Infineon Technologies Austria AG (former Siemens Semiconductors) and held leading positions at various manufacturing and development departments. Since 2014 he serves as divisional Head of R&D Funding PMM (Power Management & Multimarket). His responsibilities include the coordination of national and international research projects in the context of energy efficient electronics (e.g.: LED-Lighting, renewable energy, e-mobility, Smart Grids) and new materials (e.g.: Silicon-Carbide, Gallium-Nitride).

Abstract: Electricity is considered the main source of energy for several devices for everyday use, such as smartphones, computers, servers and lighting systems. This is where power semiconductors play a key role in converting line voltage from the wall socket in a charger or power supply to meet the needs of the respective devices. Here, the most important prerequisite is keeping the amount of energy loss during conversion (usually in the form of waste heat) at an absolute minimum. The question now is: “How small could the power supply become by shrinking on the “More than Moore” path?” Example: Enabling smaller and lighter power supplies

New generation power semiconductors will reduce the amount of energy loss in power supplies by up to one half resulting in worldwide energy savings of approximately 1 billion kWh annually for laptops only, which is equivalent to a medium-capacity hydroelectric power plant. Additionally, the energy-saving chips of the future will enable miniaturization of applications leading to a huge impact on size and weight of chargers and power supplies. This constitutes an important step towards laptop power supplies with the size of a matchbox or conveniently built into a power plug.